2017: The year of Video Advertising

By Sarah Canning
on Jan 16th, 2017
in Mobile, Web

2017 has finally arrived and brought with it a whole range of trends for the mobile advertising world. One trend which is still going strong is video. It’s no secret that video is one of the most powerful engagement tools for an advertiser, being one of the most successful ad formats on both desktop and mobile. Nowadays, the landscape of advertising has drastically changed from the banner, with the principal aim being to keep the user entertained. How do we go about this? By producing a slick, interesting, vibrant video containing relevant content. This enriches the customer experience and keeps them coming back for more. With a short video, you’re able to show the user what it’s like to use your product or interact with your App. Using a video is useful in attracting users, with video previews being one of the most convincing features in an App details page.

So, how can we impact customers and make the most of your advertising campaigns? Below, we’ll explore the ways of using video to advertise and the benefits they bring.

In-stream advertising

In-stream advertising refers to using video you see at either the start, the middle or the end of a video. It’s an extremely successful way of advertising as it targets the audience who are already searching video content. Ads that appear in-stream are most effective when they focus around branding – success is measured in engagement terms, rather than conversion terms (VTR, VSR metrics). The key to in-stream advertising is to keep your message short and sweet, impact the user and keep them watching the ad – in some cases, users are able to turn off after five seconds if they aren’t interested.

We offer the possibility to advertise in-stream – with the user choosing if they would like their ad to appear pre-roll,mid-roll or post-roll. Each type offers its own benefit: post-roll is the least intrusive option for viewers; mid-roll as generally the most effective, as the viewer is already engaged with the content and is more likely to continue watching. Although considered intrusive, pre-roll is extremely beneficial as the viewer must watch the content in order to access the video.

Advertising with us, clients are able to decide where they would like their video to appear, which countries, websites, verticals or devices – we offer a whole host of possibilities! It has been found that 33% of tablet owners watch about 60 minutes of video each day, with 28% of smartphone users watching a video at least once a day in their devices. So really, every device has its own advantage.

Out-stream advertising

Out-stream advertising is the opposite of in-stream, that is to say, advertising out of its natural environment. Out-stream ads are not tied to any piece of publisher content. These videos can run within an article, between paragraphs of text. The video only plays when the user views it and so, viewability is at 100%, – the video player is large and visible, making it easier to capture the user and is an extremely attractive option for advertisers. Out-stream video formats only load when a user scrolls down a page – more often than not, videos appear between content and are not displayed as a banner ad. Therefore, users are prone to act more with the content (a plus for publishers), with out-stream ads being considered less intrusive for the user as videos appear muted on the page and the sound being turned on only when or if the user decides to interact with it. Out-stream video advertising is another option also offered by mobusi, as we connect our partners with our clients to find the best option possible suited to their campaigns.

Important formats

Both means of advertising are undoubtedly important in bolstering campaigns. However, the way in which videos appear on-screen isn’t the only factor which must be taken into account. As mentioned before, videos can either be introduced into content at the beginning, middle or end of an ad. In addition, video length and style is inevitably important. It is proven that short, snappy videos are the ones that keep users entertained. Nowadays, we’re used to mainstream, normal advertising and we’re tired of it – we get bored easily and are always pining for more. Time is money and the user has to be impacted upon straight away to keep them hooked. Our standard video ads typically last between 15-30 seconds, which is just the right amount of time to make an impact.

Where the video is published is also vital. Some products are suited to desktop, others to mobile and others In-App. We are able to advertise content on multi-platform channels according to the client’s wishes.

So, with all these ideas combined together, advertisers should reflect which campaign would suit them best and which method of advertising is best suited to their campaign. If you’re interested in moving video campaigns and moving traffic, contact our Head of Video, aritz.hernando@mobusi.com